


Beneath the Lake

by orphan_account



Series: Rarepair Week 2k17 [5]
Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Drowning, M/M, One-Sided Attraction, Suicide Attempt, xander is a lake monster
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-10
Updated: 2017-03-10
Packaged: 2018-10-01 23:41:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10203482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Xander will never understand humans.





	

**Author's Note:**

> originally I didn't have anything written for this day, but people really seemed to like the other fic, so I wrote something extra!

At the bottom of the lake, where the light doesn't reach, Xander sleeps.   


Through his mind's eye, he can see everything he needs to; the water, the forest, the grass. He keeps watch, still and undisturbed. The humans had learned to fear this place long ago, and so he rests.   


Until one day, he felt a disturbance in the air, an invader. Someone kneeling on the dock, staring blankly into the lake. Curiously, they dipped their fingers into the water.   


Xander could've killed them right then, dragged them into the lake and torn them to shreds, but the intrusion was gone as quickly as it came, replaced with the human's intent gaze. They had noticed him then, the strange glow from the lakebed, but lacked the basic instinct to fear him. They watched for a moment longer, perhaps waiting for him to react, then got up and left.   


Xander had figured that would be the last he saw of the human, that they would have the good sense not to return. But they did. Every night, for several nights, they sat at the dock, watching? Thinking? Resting? It was impossible to tell. But they did not disturb the water, so he let them be.   


Then, one night, they threw themselves into the lake.   


Xander could hear himself screech as he lunged at them, wrapping his claws around their throat and  _ squeezing _ until the air left them. They grabbed at his hands, needing to hold on to  _ something _ , but otherwise remained still. They did not struggle.   


Xander loosened his grip slightly, staring into the human's blank expression, devoid of any feeling. There was a moment when they breathed in on impulse and choked on the water, face suddenly contorting in a  profound horror. In a quick burst of adrenaline, they broke from his grasp, managing to weakly push themselves away from him.    


Xander wasn't sure where the impulse came from or why he followed it, but he grabbed them and pulled them back above the surface. He heaved them onto the dock, watching as they threw up a mix of bile and water, marring his dominion for a third time. They passed out almost immediately after, exhausted and in shock.   


Xander stared at them for a moment, then sighed and pulled himself out of the lake, assuming the human form he had never needed to use. Gently, he lifted the human and brought them to the nearest village.   


* * *

Certainly, near-death would be enough to scare off anyone else, but Xander was beginning to notice this human wasn't quite normal. Maybe a week later, they had already resumed their nightly visits. This time, they would drop flowers in the water, letting them drift out into the lake. Then, they would wait.

Long after the human had fallen asleep, Xander would pluck them from the surface, each one, some strange kind of thanks. Each one, Xander rejected, leaving them with the human who brought them to find in the morning. Distantly, he wished they would leave.   


The human seemed to catch the hint eventually, but refused to give up. The next night, they brought something new; a beautiful piece of jewelry, dropped callously into the water. Displeased with the obvious intrusion, Xander half-considered throwing it back at them, but changed his mind once he examined it up close.   


It was a valuable piece, to be certain. Xander didn't know much about human culture, but these were the sort of adornments royals used to offer him in exchange for his favor. It wasn't something a human would ever give up lightly.   


Sighing, he dug it out of the mud and took it with him. This whole series of events was becoming quite a problem.   


* * *

Long after the human had left, satisfied that their gift had been accepted, Xander emerged from the lake to follow them, donning the same disguise he had used that fateful night. He wandered into town, asking about the person with the long, grey hair and a penchant for strange behavior.    


His name was Takumi, they told him, and his family was important, but not too important. The era of nobles and kings were long behind them, after all, though no one could deny the possible connection. He lives in that large house over there, you see it? It's hard to miss.   


Pulling his hood lower over his head, he knocked on the door. The man who answered was decidedly not Takumi, nor did he really resemble him in any way, and he immediately looked upon Xander with suspicion.   


"...What do you want?" the man asked. Xander avoided eye contact, pulling out the string of pearls.   


"Someone lost this, and I was told they lived here," he said, not missing the way the man's eyes widened in shock. He tore the jewelry from his hands, examining it for damage.   


"T-this-! Where- what happened!?" he asked.    


"He just dropped them, a boy with grey hair-"   


" _ Takumi, _ " the man hissed, laced with an unusual emotion not entirely anger and not entirely concern. "Thank you for returning this," he said, then shut the door before waiting for a response. Sighing, Xander slunk back to his domain. Humans were exhausting.   


* * *

Takumi was persistent, Xander was beginning to find. Despite everything, he appeared again that night, sitting at the dock as he always did. Xander assumed he would drop in another “gift” for him, and so approached the dock from the lakebed cautiously.

Instead of flowers or jewelry, this time, Takumi threw in himself.

Stunned by the fact that Takumi would genuinely try this again, he hesitated for a moment. The human made eye contact with him, expression full of curiosity and amazement. Xander only saw it for a second, then he was lifting Takumi out of the water for a second time. Takumi jumped right back in. 

Humans were really,  _ really  _ exhausting.

Xander truly could not understand why he would come back like this, day after day, no matter how many times Xander hurt him. But there was something in the human’s eyes, something he had never seen before.

_ “I… I wanted to see you.” _

_ “Why?” _

_ “Because… you saved me, didn’t you?” _

Xander would never understand.

Takumi wanted his name. He gave it, simply, quickly, and then sank down to the lakebed, leaving the human to his thoughts.

Takumi came back the next day, as always, and the day after that, and the day after that.


End file.
